NFL Week 14: What to watch for

Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger will return to the field Sunday against the Chargers in Pittsburgh after missing three games with shoulder and rib injuries. ANDY LYONS, GETTY IMAGES

BY THE NUMBERS

Football has changed, and wide receivers are the biggest statistical beneficiaries of those changes. New England's Wes Welker needs eight receptions this week to become the first player with five 100-catch seasons. Brandon Marshall and Reggie Wayne are on the verge of joining the elite class that has four — a group that will become less and less exclusive in coming years.

Player 100-catch seasons (totals)

Marvin Harrison

4 (115, 102, 109, 143)

Jerry Rice

4 (100, 112, 122, 108)

Wes Welker

x-4 (112, 111, 123, 122, 92)

Brandon Marshall

x-3 (102, 104, 101, 91)

Reggie Wayne

x-3 (104, 100, 111, 88)

Note: x-Through Week 13

THREE AND OUT

Three things to watch for in today's games:

1. Ben in ... Norv out?

Pittsburgh QB Ben Roethlisberger returns after missing the past three games, and he comes back to a team that's alive and well after last week's possibly season-saving victory over Baltimore. If you're looking for a team in shambles, check out the opposite sideline. That's where you'll find the reeling Chargers, who must find a way to focus on football amid reports that their coach and GM will be fired at season's end.

2. Battle of the Beltway

Is there a cooler-sounding nickname for a rivalry than "Battle of the Beltway"? It seems more suited to the History Channel than NFL Network. But we're talking football here, a marquee matchup between the neighboring Baltimore Ravens and Washington Redskins. The Ravens have owned the Beltway for most of this century. But Robert Griffin III's arrival has sparked a Redskins revival. Can the ravaged Ravens defense come up with a way to stop him?

3. Peyton vs. Payton

Which Peyton/Payton story will have a bigger impact on the field: Brown-turned-Chief Peyton Hillis getting into a hilarious war of words with "crazy ex-girlfriend" Joe Thomas? Or New York Giants punter — yes, punter — Steve Weatherford suggesting that suspended Saints coach Sean Payton is finding ways to communicate with his team? The correct answer: None of the above.

THURSDAY'S RESULT

DENVER 26, HOUSTON 13: Peyton Manning threw his 30th TD pass of the season as the Broncos won their eighth in a row.

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